Meghan Markle Is Flying to New York to Watch Serena Williams in the US Open Final

Meghan Markle is New York City bound. The Duchess of Sussex has boarded a commercial flight to the city so she can watch her good friend Serena Williams play in the final of the U.S. Open tomorrow. A source told the Times of London, "It is a last-minute trip. [Meghan] excited to support her friend, and then come back.”

The trans-Atlantic hop was reportedly planned at the last-minute, when Williams won last night's semi-final, beating Elina Svitolina handily in two sets, 6-3, 6-1, though Meghan has apparently been considering it since her friend won the quarter final (also in straight sets) last Tuesday. The Times reports that Meghan stayed up late watching Serena's game Thursday night and was on a flight to New York just seven hours later.

Meghan Markle and Serena Williams in 2014.

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Meghan is flying to New York solo—Prince Harry and baby Archie will stay home—and will return by the end of the weekend. It's notable that the Duchess is flying commercial; she and Prince Harry came under sharp criticism earlier this summer for flying on a private jet to France after the Prince had made several comments about the need for individuals to make choices to limit their impact on climate change.

The trip may not be an eco-friendly one, but it is a sign of Meghan's close bond with her friend Serena. They met in 2010, at a Super Bowl party, and Markle later wrote in her blog, The Tig, that they had an instant bond: "Taking pictures, laughing through the flag football game we were both playing and chatting not about tennis or acting but about good old fashioned girly stuff."

Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian at the Royal Wedding.

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Serena and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, were guests at Meghan's wedding to Prince Harry in May 2019, and Serena visited baby Archie shortly after he was born, while she was on her way to France to play in the French Open. Ohanian and Williams's toddler daughter, Alexis, was apparently there as well.

Meghan has watched Serena play at Wimbledon the last few years, but this U.S. Open match is a particularly historic one. This win would be Williams' 24th grand-slam title, matching Margaret Court's record of single titles. Williams, who turns 38 at the end of September, will face off against 19-year-old Bianca Andreescu.

Meghan attended Serena's final match at this year's Wimbledon this summer and can be seen in the background here with her sister-in-law the Duchess of Cambridge and Kate's sister Pippa Middleton.

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Williams has won six US Open titles in her extraordinary career, and this year tied Chris Evert's US Open record of 101 wins. She also broke the record for the longest gap between her first and most recent appearance, 19 years and 362 days. Her sister Venus previously held that record.

How important is this 24th grand slam title? “I think 24 is a big deal; I think it matters,” tennis analyst and former pro Chanda Rubin told the New York Times. “Because Serena should be considered the greatest of all time, and this would kind of shut the door in my mind, certainly if she can get to 25 it would close the door to the conversation. And she is competitive and intense enough that all that would matter to her. That being said, she doesn’t have to win another match or another tournament to have her place in history.”

Elizabeth AngellDigital DirectorElizabeth Angell is the Digital Director for Town & Country and Elle Decor, where she writes about the British Royal Family, the Kennedys, Ivy League shenanigans, superstars of interior design, and trends in style, beauty, and home.

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